Deprivation
by EarendilElwing
Summary: Danny's there to look out for Steve when he works too hard.


Danny had lost count of the number of times he'd yawned in the last ten minutes. Five-0's latest case had led the team down a metaphorical rabbit hole of false leads and dead ends. Unfortunately, they were under a great deal of pressure from the governor to solve it as quickly and quietly as possible; there had been rumors that some of the state's highest officials had knowingly turned a blind eye to illegal ventures operating within their departments. If they didn't move fast, vital information and evidence could be hidden or destroyed before they had enough to make arrests.

Because of this, everyone had been working almost nonstop for over a week - interviewing witnesses, combing through paper trails, interrogating suspects… all the usual police work, but minus adequate breaks for meals or sleep. Tensions climbed as they hit one dead end after another and deprivation settled in. They took turns with naps and snacks wherever they could, but they were all pushing themselves to the brink in order to get the job done.

He had just gotten back to the office after a four-hour snooze and dinner run to relieve Kono and Chin, but he still felt dead on his feet. Lou was out getting another round of the strongest coffee available, and Steve was at his desk, cross-checking phone records with witness statements.

Danny hovered outside his partner's office warily to try and get a read on how he was doing before he entered with something of a peace offering. As usual, Steve was taking the mission to the extreme. They might not have had to face any gun-wielding maniacs or fiery explosions yet, but that didn't mean that their resident super SEAL wasn't going to test his own limits or Danny's patience.

"Hey Danno! You gonna stand out there like a creeper all night, or are you gonna get some actual work done?"

Danny grit his teeth and discarded all pretense of discretion. He marched into the office and dropped the paper bag in his hand on one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Oh, so now you're questioning my work ethic? I will have you know that I spent all morning following that doped-up junkie dealer, on _your_ orders, by the way, and the only thing I learned from the whole experience is that you cannot, in fact, make cookies by farming bits out of cookie dough ice cream and baking them. So don't you go blaming me for another dead end. If anything _you_ owe _me_ for wasting my time."

Steve leaned back in his chair and glared at him. "Okay, so that lead didn't pan out. Where were you the rest of the afternoon?"

"Uh, I took a nap? You know… sleep?" Danny crossed his arms over his chest, but one hand danced and waved through the air to emphasize his words. "I realize it may be a foreign concept to you, but the general populace requires at least a little bit of sack time in order to function properly. In fact, studies have shown that the average human can get far more accomplished if they take a time out to rest their minds and bodies. You might know that if you bothered to remember that - while you may not be "average" - you _are_ a neanderthal, which is a subspecies of human, and therefore likewise subject to the need for sleep."

He took a deep breath and exhaled his irritation. "When _was_ the last time you took a break?"

Steve shrugged, which was answer enough.

"Well, first things first." Danny retrieved the bag he'd dropped and held it out to his partner. "Takeout from Kamekona's. I could hear your stomach eating itself from my house."

Steve's expression softened. "Thanks, Danny."

"Yeah, sure." He took his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text. After that was done, he picked up one of the forms in front of Steve. "So, any progress on this?"

McGarrett shook his head. "Nothing substantial, but I've still got another month's worth of phone records to go through," he mumbled, his mouth already stuffed with the shrimp dish.

"Half a month's worth," Danny corrected. He snatched a large portion of the remaining records from the inbox pile. Without another word, he exited Steve's office and returned to his own, waving a hand at Steve's shout of gratitude.

Danny Williams had always been a firm defender of proper police procedure, but that didn't mean he had to like the drudgery of the paperwork end of it. To complicate matters, their tech systems were undergoing a thorough upgrade - due to be finished tomorrow - so they had to sort through and process everything by hand until then. He was sure that was part of the reason Steve was hounding the team for results; the sooner they got through this, the sooner he could start busting skulls. Danny didn't necessarily approve of his partner's extreme methods, but at this point, keeping him in check in the interrogation room would be preferable than having to defend the team's need for time away from the office.

The two of them went back to work, occasionally tossing out potential leads or general banter across the hall. A great deal of Steve's end of the conversation was to complain about the fact that Lou wasn't back with the coffee yet.

Eventually, silence fell between them. Danny waited for it to stretch out to a full thirty minutes, then got up to investigate.

He ducked his head into Steve's office and grinned at the sight that greeted him. Steve had finally fallen asleep, his torso bowed over his desk, as Danny predicted he would after eating the carb-heavy food he'd brought. He was glad it had done the trick; he'd actually considered adding a melatonin tablet or an over-the-counter sleep aid to a cup of tea if that hadn't worked. He wouldn't normally resort to such underhanded methods, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

In all the years they've worked together, and with all the annoying quirks Steve had, his utter lack of self-preservation was what grated on Danny's nerves the worst. He'd already lost so many important people in his life; he didn't want to lose Steve as well - not to a bullet, and certainly not to a mental breakdown from a lack of basic human necessities. As always, it was up to Danny to watch his partner's back.

Without making a sound, Danny maneuvered around the furniture to his partner's side. As gently as he could manage, he pried Steve off of the desk, pulled one of the SEAL's arms around his own shoulders, and dragged him over a couch. He deposited Steve onto the leather cushions and arranged his gangly limbs into a more comfortable position. Finally, Danny retrieved a sweater from his own office and spread it out over his friend as much as possible .

"Sleep well, you animal," he whispered. He leaned over and gave his partner a light kiss on his head.

Danny stole the rest of the reports, tiptoed out, and eased the door closed behind him just in time to meet Lou Grover, a bag of snacks dangling from one arm and a tray of large coffees in the other.

"Boss finally taking a break?" he said in a low voice.

Danny nodded and ushered Lou into his office, relieving him of the caffeine in the process. He grabbed one and took a large drink. "Mmm… just what I needed." He plopped down in his chair and Lou took a seat opposite.

"Gotta say, I was confused when you told me to take my time gettin' back. How'd you manage to put him down?"

Danny lifted one shoulder. "Doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is that we should have at least three hours free from his condescending comments and short attitude. I suggest we take advantage of it while we can."

Lou grinned. "Talk about a role-reversal. Usually you're the biggest grump of the bunch."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Yes, ha ha." He tossed a partial stack of files at him. "Let's just get to work, huh?"

"You got it, Williams."


End file.
